The Secret Lives of Jedi
by The Musical Jedi
Summary: QuiGon and Anakin play a prank on ObiWan just in time for Anakin's first Life Day at the Temple.
1. Woes of the Padawan

**Title:** _The Secret Lives of Jedi_

**Author:** The Musical Jedi

**Timeframe: **Right after TPM

**Characters:** Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi

**Genre:** Humor

**Author's Notes: **AU. Written for the Holiday Gift Exchange at TF.N for **Quigonjecca**. Her requests: 1. Qui-Gon still being alive 2. Qui-Gon and Ani playing a prank on Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon and Ani find extremely funny 3. Anakin's first lifeday at the Temple.

---

_A quiet evening_, Qui-Gon thought with relish, _is something that I don't indulge in often enough._ With an uncharacteristic sigh of contentment, the Jedi Master settled onto the worn couch in his sitting room, a cup of Dejavaric tea balanced on a saucer in one hand, and a reader with the latest story from the _Rogue Jedi Knights!_ series in the other.

It was then a chime sounded throughout his quarters, announcing a visitor.

Grumbling quietly to himself a few choice Corellian phrases, Qui-Gon deposited his tea and reader on the end table, stalked across the room, and angrily palmed open the door, reflecting not for the first time how much more effective flinging open an old fashioned door would be.

Anakin stood in the doorway looking uncertain as Qui-Gon's expression suddenly shifted from thunderous to something more inviting. "M-master Qui-Gon?" he asked, blue eyes wide with concern.

"Anakin! Come in! I was just wishing I had someone to spend the evening with," Qui-Gon replied, ushering the young Padawan. "Would you like some tea?"

Anakin shook his head slowly, moving into Qui-Gon's sitting room. The boy looked concern, a shadown crossing his normally exuberant face. The older Jedi herded Anakin over to the couch, where he stashed his reader in a drawer in the end table. Anakin sat himself on the couch and curled up, peering over his knees at the Rogue.

Qui-Gon studied him for a moment as he reached for his tea before Anakin, biting his lip, asked, "Qui-Gon, has Obi-Wan ever had any fun?"

Sputtering on his tea, Qui-Gon broke into coughing, and it took him a few minutes before he managed to completely clear his trachea of the offending liquid. "While I admit Obi-Wan tends to be rather serious, he does subscribe to his own unique brand of amusement."

"But not like a normal person?

Qui-Gon smiled kindly. "It depends on what you mean, Anakin. What's troubling you?"

Anakin began to clean his nails, hesitating to meet the older man's gaze. "Well, my first Life Day here at the Temple is coming up, and Master Obi-Wan mentioned doing something special because I've been having problems adjusting to my new life." He paused, biting his lip again. "I know I'm not supposed to want to, but I was hoping maybe I could see Mom," he finished in a small voice, peeking up at Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon took a long draught from his tea then set the cup on its saucer. He then turned to regard Anakin. "I think you already have your answer, Ani," he replied gently. "If you know you're not supposed to, then why are you asking?"

Anakin placed his head on his knees, his eyes dropping to his feet. "I – I guess I didn't realize it would be so hard, going from being a slave to being a Padawan. I haven't made many friends, and I was just thinking – well, hoping – that…" His shoulders lifted briefly, finishing his sentence for him.

Reaching over to place a hand on Anakin's shoulder, Qui-Gon waiting until the Padawan looked up at him. "I know that this is difficult for you. Becoming a Jedi is a long, painful road with many sacrifices. But you must learn to shoulder your responsibilities and let go of the things that you want – that you think you need – to reach your full potential." Wordlessly, Anakin nodded, his eyes shifting away again, and Qui-Gon saw the sheen of tears in them. "What does this have to do with Obi-Wan having fun?"

"Well, I asked him about Mom, and he lectured me about duty and putting aside emotion. I just wondered," a small smile twitched at the corner of Anakin's mouth, "if Obi-Wan experienced any emotions besides duty and commitment to the Jedi."

Qui-Gon buried his face in his teacup to hide his own smile. "Your Master is very devoted to your training," was the only diplomatic response that came to mind.

"I know."

At that, Qui-Gon gave Anakin a true smile. "Why don't you let me think on it, and perhaps I can give Obi-Wan some ideas as to what to do for your first Life Day."

The chime rang again in the apartment. Qui-Gon excused himself to answer, this time to find his former Padawan standing in the door looking somewhat flustered. "Master, I was just looking – Ah, Anakin!" Obi-Wan walked into the apartment to stand before his Padawan.

"I was thinking maybe you wanted to get some balance practice in before dinner," Obi-Wan said. Qui-Gon could hear the coax in the Jedi Knight's voice; in his own way, Obi-Wan was trying to make up for his earlier lecture. On the other hand, judging from the look on Anakin's face, he could tell what it sounded like to Anakin: if you're a good little Padawan and do your katas, you can have dessert tonight. _Did I ever sound like that?_ the older man wondered.

Anakin glanced at Qui-Gon, and the Jedi Master could see the shift in his face as he thought about reaching his full potential versus what he really wanted to do. "Could we work with the practice lightsabers afterwards?" Anakin asked, looking hopeful at what he considered a compromise.

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan replied, favoring Anakin with a smile. Anakin, however, clearly thought the odds were as good as an intergalactic ice-carving contest being held on Tatooine.

"Obi-Wan, would you mind if Anakin and I had dinner tomorrow?" Qui-Gon felt a surge of pity for the Padawan. Anything to help Anakin adjust to life in the Jedi Temple would make life easier for him in the long run. Growing up in the crèche was hard enough – growing up somewhere else and then coming to the Temple was unheard of.

"Of course, Master." Obi-Wan collected a somewhat sullen Anakin for their katas.

Qui-Gon resumed his place on his couch. _Of course, there are worse things_, he mused as he pulled out his reader. _I'll take Obi-Wan's katas over Yoda's biker bars any day._


	2. Origins of the Mouse Droid?

**A/N:** I anticipate this to be about 2 or 3 more posts, just for your reference. Thanks for all the reviews; I always appreciate seeing what you have to say. :)

**Disclaimers:** (Because I forgot before) I don't own Star Wars or any of the characters who live in that universe (sadly). George Lucas does, and I thank him for letting us play in his sandbox.

---  
**Origins of the Mouse Droid?**  
---

Later that night, Anakin lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He estimated that he had been in bed about an hour and a half, yet there was no feeling of impending drowsiness. The Padawan could feel the beginnings of desperation spread through him – he knew that if he didn't get to sleep, he would be tired in the morning, making for a bad day. However, that thought only worked him up more, making it even more impossible for him to fall asleep. It wasn't even as though he wasn't tired; Obi-Wan's katas had dragged on practically forever, and unexpectedly he'd been willing to work with Anakin with the practice sabers afterwards. Dinner had been followed by meditation, at which point Anakin had been drowsy, followed by bed.

Anakin rolled over, still unused to the soft sheets and heavy blankets that covered his bed even after four months in the Temple. He had been surprised to discover that he actually missed the light, rough blankets that covered and softened his pallet back in the hovel on Tatooine. _Back home,_ he mentally amended. He pictured his mother, quietly humming to herself as she moved about the small dwelling, always keeping it tidy. Anakin knew that it was at best modest by galactic standards, but to him it had been enough. The air had always smelled sweet from his mother's cooking, the furnishings well-worn and comfortable, and the atmosphere was loving, warm, and complete.

In contrast, the Temple seemed cold and unyielding. Nothing seemed cozy and homey. The other initiates and Padawans Anakin had classes with were aloof and unfriendly. He had no doubts that he was an outsider to them – raised in another world with no right to the one in which he now dwelled. Anakin felt like an outcast, but even that didn't accurately describe his treatment. To be an outcast, the others would at least have to admit to his existence. The others behaved as if he simply didn't even exist. Not even worthy of acknowledgement, let alone any form of acceptance. Anakin liked to think that he could deal with malevolent treatment – one didn't spend much time as a slave without learning to defend oneself.

_If only Mom were here._

Anakin balled up his fists then threw the covers off his bed. Rummaging through his closet, he found a relatively clean tunic and pair of leggings and pulled them on. As he put on his boots, he thought about what Qui-Gon had said earlier. "If I can't focus on what I can't have," he said quietly to himself, "then I'll focus on something else." Biting his lip, the picture of his mom coming to the Temple sprang to mind. _At least, while I can_.

Anakin crept out into the hall between his room and Obi-Wan's. From his Master's bedroom, he could hear the gentle rumblings of Obi-Wan's breathing. The sound always reminded him of the dry thunderstorms that sometimes swept over the surface of Tatooine, a low, throaty, primordial sound that had always fascinated him. The sound, as it often did, now brought Anakin comfort; in this case, it meant that Obi-Wan was unlikely to wake up, short of a threat to his person.

Palming the door to their shared quarters open, Anakin glanced in the hall before stepping out. While he technically wasn't breaking any rules, as there were no formal curfews or forbidden times for Jedi to be out and about, the Padawan was fairly sure this could be categorized under "Disobedience to One's Master" or some other lofty umbrella-like rule. It never occurred to Anakin that Obi-Wan might genuinely be concerned if he were to wake up and find his Padawan was missing.

Anakin moved sure-footedly through the dark hallways, making his way towards the industrial portion of the Temple. Because the Temple was, for all practical purposes, a self-contained city, it had its own limited manufacturing and industrial areas dedicated to the upkeep of the Temple itself and various related components, such as the computer systems, the starships and fighters, and electrical equipment. It was in this area that Anakin had found one haven, a place for him to center himself and find solace when there was none to be had anywhere else: the Repair Shop.

It had come as a surprise to the Padawan to discover that, as a general rule, the repair shop was maintained by non-Jedi. Obi-Wan had given him a roundabout explanation about, while many Jedi may have an aptitude for working with electronics, like Anakin himself, most focused more on activities that reinforced their connection to the Force, something metal components couldn't do. Civilians worked within this area for the most part without Jedi interference.

Anakin had made a few friends among the sentients who worked there, and, due to the naïve opinion of how much damage can one kid do, been given leave to tinker around in there as he wanted. As he opened the door to the repair shop, Anakin thought about his discussion with Qui-Gon. _How is it even his own Master doesn't know much about what he does?_ Anakin couldn't help but wonder.

As he moved around the shop, picking up objects and putting them down again, enjoying their familiarity, Anakin considered his Master, coming up with and discarding ideas much in the same way. _Obi-Wan is considered very good at sparring but takes his practices with the other Jedi very seriously. Maybe he doesn't find it very fun – he's just good at it. He doesn't seem to have many friends. I think his favorite thing is evening meditation. What does he do during the day when I'm in class? It can't be Jedi business all the time. No Jedi has __**that**__ much to do. Even Qui-Gon has a hard time making him smile._

Anakin sighed in frustration. Could his Master really be that boring? He looked in front of him to see the dismantled remains of a small messenger droid. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

Scooping up the pieces of the droid, Anakin settled at one of the workbenches and began piecing the droid back together. He pulled apart the body of the droid, removing its AI chip and setting aside. Finding a small chassis for the droid, he wired the AI unit to that, making a small hole in the top of the chassis. The Padawan outfitted the chassis with small, multi-jointed legs with magnets on the ends, allowing it to skitter around and climb walls as it chose. It took some hunting, but Anakin finally found the most important piece – an optic sensor that could record what the droid chose to focus on. He attached that to the top of the chassis, making sure it could swivel up to 270 degrees. Finally, Anakin hooked it up to the computer nearby, using that to program the small droid.

The program was fairly simple, although Anakin was very proud of the idea. The droid, when he first turned it on after setting it up, would be imprinted to the first thing it would see. The droid would then follow that object – or, in this case, a person – recording it. However, it would use its AI chip to stay out of view. Because the droid wasn't even big enough to span the entire palm of Anakin's hand, the Padawan figured it wouldn't be noticed. A grin crossed his face. _And since it's not Force-sensitive, Obi-Wan won't be able to sense it following him._ He could show the footage to Qui-Gon at dinner tomorrow night. That could at least shed some light on his Master.

Slipping the droid inside his tunic, Anakin walked back to his shared quarters, beginning to feel the edges of sleep crowding in on him. A sense of satisfaction accompanied it. Once in his room, he hid the small droid in his closet, stripped down, and curled up in his soft, pleasantly cool bed.

_I really hope Obi-Wan isn't __**that**__ boring_, was the last thought he had before he fell asleep.


End file.
